Machine for forming and reinforcing cutouts



Patented Aug. 7, 1945 zssrs s 1REINEORCING1GUTOUTS .1

j "Frederick SlqGlines, East LynnQIMaSS as'signor to 'Iiorenz F. Muther, Newton Center,,Mass;

muafiollocaber 17, 19.42, serial p iicaioo;

\"olaims. (c1. zis -rs) i, i This;invention relates to. a'-machin' e for form.-

ing: cutouts-and applying. a reinforcing; element about the marginal portions. of ithez cutout.

In machinesof the abovetypeit isnecesSaI'Y that provision; be made for removing: the: severed materiahso tlziatit will notinterfere'with thereinfbrcing operation and although numerous at tempts-have been made to prOVidemeanS: for effectively removing theseveredmaterial, such as mechanically operated pick-offs; air .blasts: and

the like 81151811611 attemptsi so far as: I: am aware have: not proved reliable in operation. .Moreover;

such devicesasthave been used in removing: the

I severedlmaterialrare expensiv'eand oftemseri ous! 1y, interfere withgthe' proper manipulation. of" the I materialoperatedon; 1..

L vThe; principal: objects ofi the presentinvention I arertolovercome" the aforementioned; difficulties and to provide a. machine which embodies: av reliableandefficient-means for removably holding the severed: material so that; it; willznotlinterf ere 2; and a:-chute= 4 for automaticallyieeding', reinforcing: elementssuch' as: grommetssR (Fig. 3) into position. to' be' acted: upon by the operating instrumentalities; The headil comprisesa fixed supporting Erin. which is; mounted areciproe eating holder B'Iorr'eceivingz oneaof the operating ihstrumentalities: or. parts 111;. and the: work-sup? porting" arm 311sdesigned to receiventhe other whichincludesiaitwo-revolution clutch amt assooperating part 20:- The'hea'd-i alsozincludesaan actuatinglanm I27; adaptedst'ofreciprocate the, holden-E in the manner." hereinafter described. v'llhe arm-:12 is operatedlby al-mechanismr.knotzsliown) CiBJtEdT PEItST effective: to reciprocate the armhlz with the application of the reinforcement'on other operations.- r

. -Eurther objects apparentrfrom a. conslderation at the following description and: the accompanying drawing wherein zzi v I I I Fla, 1. is anelevationsofs the operative parts, of w-machine embodying; the presentlinvetrtion;

He nia is a vertical. section through; the; operatinc; instnumentalities and; associated parts, illuse tratingptheirmode of operation -during the first I operatinmcycleg.

f 3 and are-enlareedielevationsg withparts showndmsection, illustratingthesecond or final operating cyclepand r l w 5k is an enlargedl eleiiation; with: parts showni section; illustrating! a inodifledlconstructiom i I l Theparticular embodiment chosen f-or illustratiom isidesigned for .punching' out openings in shetzmateria-l suchsascanvas; duck; letc during thamstwoperating cycle ct the: machine, and automatically: applying to: and :clen'chin'g' a reinforcing element about. the m'arginal portion of the, cutoutrduringvthe secondroperating cycle it.

heinglmiderstood thatithelinvention is notli'mited to; the particularutypea of machine her'eim shown,

since the: operating instrumentalities may be used withialnyimaohine. or device capable' of actuating the: punching members tel-form 'an opening in sheet materiai to which a. reinforcement: is to be suhsequently' appliedw .sThet-machineiihereinl shownacomprises an up standmm; frame t havingl operatingheadfli halworki-supportinglarm:aidisposedibelowitnehead through two operating cycles, the firstoperating" cycle? causing a: predetermined: downward. stroke of holder 6 andv thesecond': operating cycle efiecting" another; downward: stroke of the: same mag;-

nitude'; I The chutezfi'. is associatedwitlr mechanism: (notshow-11;) which is operative to feed grommets or'the like'reinforcing elements- R Iintc positionlhetween; the: first and secondfoperating cycles; Simiesthis type of machine-is welliknown in thevaraa furtherdescriptionlis unnecessary. The operating'instrumentality ll) comprises; a

cylindrical female punch member I4 shouldered atits upper end l5 and having its lower-end formedwithza; cuttingiedgelrB'and a curved convexed'tcl'ennhing suriace 11- which provides' 'one of a pair of clenching, dies. Al spring: pressed plunger: [8 is slidably' mounted: withinthe bore of the punch; Mi withaitsv upper end projecting through an opening -z therein jas ShQWn' i-l'1E'Fig.'2',

and provided with ag lugi orcollar (not; shown) for-limiting-its downward: movement. l The'lower end, of the: plunger normally proj ects downwardly below-the: punch M, as shown int-Figs. laand to providegj-a-pilot for holdinge grommetR correctly positioned: at'the commencement of the second operating cycle; The lower face of the pilot is formed with ax recessor opening t9 so as: toaccommodate the end of a holding. pin; associated 1 with; .the male: punch hereinafter described.

' upon; The punch member-.11? is providedewith shouldered jendmliir.

air-elongate: extension Brand: both: parts arc fomnedilwith anaxial'boregthezupper endofswhich is of bottleneck cross-section and its lower end screw-threaded. An annular clenching die 24, integral with and spaced below the cutting end of the punch 2|, is shaped to receive a washer or reinforcing ring r and to cooperate with the clenching surface I! of the punch l4 so as to roll the end of the grommet R over the body of the washer r, as illustrated in Fig. 4. A holding pin 25 having a tapered end is mounted in the bore of the member 21 so that its tapered end projects above the operating surface of the punch, and a screw 26 (Fig. 2) adjustably holds the pin in fixed position within the bore. 1

In place of the adjustable holding pin 25, the upper face of the punch member 2| may be formed with an integral pin 25 as shown in Fig. 5, in which case the pin 25 projects beyond the cutting edges 22 an amount approximately equal to the thickness of the material to be operated upon.

The extension 23 slidably fits within an opening in the support 3 withthepunch 2 loperatively positioned with respect to the punch 14 and chute 4. The lower end of the extension is supported on a. slide 30 mounted in a horizontal slot 3| formed in the support 3. The slide 30 is formed with stepped surfaces 33 and 34 (Figs. 1 and 2) interconnected by a beveled portion, and these surfaces provide two supporting levels for the parts In, the difference in the supporting-levels being such as to compensategfor the-differences in thicknesses of the sheet material ,8 to be operated upon. The slide, 30 is mounted. for vertical movement in the. slot 3|, being supported at a predetermined height in the slot by a thumbscrew. 35, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By moving the slide from left to right, the level at "which the parts H] are supported :may be lowered so as to accommodate a greater thickness of sheet material, thus avoiding the necessity for. making readjustments of the operating parts. Theslide '30 is held in one position or the other b a springpressed plunger (not shown); associated with a, set screw 31, and in orderto prevent rotation of the parts 20 on the slide, the extension23 is receives the end of -Assuming that both the operating parts I and are correctly positioned, that the slide is adjusted to maintainthe parts-20 at the proper operating level for a given thickness of sheet material S to be operated upon, that the holding pin 25 is properly adjusted to penetrate the sheet material, and that chute 4 is filled with grommets in Fig. 2, and as the pun-ch l4 begins its upward movement, the pilot I8 operates to hold the cutout .0 on the male punch 2luntil the punch I4 is clear of the cut-out, therebypreventing removal of the cut-out from the top of punch'2l, after which the pilot I8 is carried upwardly "leaving the severed material 0 heldin place on the upper faceof the male punch 2|. During this cycle the holding pin zimay penetrate through the cutout O, in which case its end is received by the recess l9 and hence is not damaged. At the end of the first cycle the plunger l4 and pilot that the grommet R is carried downwardly by the pilot is about the punch 2| and cut-out O on its end, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Continued downward movement of the parts l4l8 forces the body of the grommet R through the opening in the sheet S and the opening in the washer r so that its lower end is rolled over the washer 1' by the cooperative action of the surface I! and the die 24, as illustrated in Fig. 4, whereupon the parts are returned to their original position (Fig. 1). The punched. sheet with its reinforcement is then stripped from the male punch 2|, and as the sheet is being removed, the cutout O is replaced in the opening due to engagement with the grommet R and is. thus removed from the punch and carried. away from the operating area, where it may later be pushed or blown out. The severed material is thus effectively removed to a point:remote from the areaof operation, where it can not interfere with subsequent operations. .?While I have shown and described one desirable' embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration, and that various changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as thesubstitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims, Iclaim: 1. In a machine of the class describedhaving mechanism for effecting a two-cycle operation, operating instrumentalities comprising cooperating male and female punch members for forming. a cut-out inv a piece of sheet material during one operating cycle, a depressible pilot associated with the female member, said pilot normally projecting beyond the cutting edge of said female member and being movable toward and away from the male member, cooperating dies circumposed about said punch members operative during the second operating cycle to clench-an annular shaped reinforcement about the marginal portions of the cut-out formed by said punch members, said male member having a. holding pin projecting from its upper surface and said pilot having a recess to receive the end of said pin, said pin cooperating with said pilot so as to penetrate said sheet material during the first operating cycle, therebyreleasably to hold the severed material in position on said male member during the second operating -cycle, but effective to permit said severed material to be replaced in the opening of the reinforcement applied to said cutout when the sheet material is. removed from the area of operation of said instrumentalities.

2. ,In a machine of. the class described having mechanism for effecting a two-cycle operation, operating instrumentalities comprising a male punch member formed with an axialopening, a female, punch member cooperatively associated with the male punch member so asto punch an opening in apieceof'sheet material during the p I 2,381,818 first operating cycle; a depressible pilottelescopi- I cally disposed within said female punch member t and normally projectingbeyond its cutting edge, a; clenching die surrounding said male member, means associated with the female member to provide a, clenching surface cooperating with. said I die to secure a reinforcing elementabout the marginal portion of the opening in said sheet material during the second operating cycle, a holding finger adjustably mounted inthe openirig in said male member with its end projecting a above the surface thereof, said pilot having a recess in its, outer end to receive the projecting end of said holding finger, said pilot and projecting end of said holding finger being arranged to cooperate so that said holding finger penetrates said sheet material during the first operating cycle, thereby releasably to hold the severed material-in position on the male punching member during the second operating cycle, but effective to permit the severed material .to be replaced in- ,the opening in said reinforcing element after FREDERICK s GLINES. 

